Why Your New Year’s Resolution Sucks

It’s officially 2022!

We love ringing in a new year. The turning of the calendar brings with it the chance to put behind us everything that weighed us down last year and celebrate a fresh start. It’s a chance to turn things around, a chance to better ourselves.

But how many times have you set out to accomplish something big in the year ahead, only to be disappointed that you failed to succeed at what you thought was truly possible?

Well, congratulations! If you’ve failed to reach a New Year’s resolution, you’re actually in the majority. That’s right, only about 8% of those who make a New Year’s resolution actually stick to their goals.

But if every resolution we set was doomed to fail, who would ever set one? See if your New Year’s goals fall into any of the categories below. If so, you’ll be quickly heading downhill to disappointment and, likely, failure. But not to worry! We have the perfect solution for each scenario that’ll have you making a U-turn in the right direction and slaying those goals before you know it.

Your Goal is Too Vague (And, Spoilers: You’ll Fail)

We hate to break it to you, but your New Year’s resolution may, in fact, be unattainable. If you rang in the new year saying you’ll lose more weight, give more, save more, or eat out less, you’re already doomed to fail. Why? Because you’re not quantifying your goal. What does more or less actually mean to you specifically?

When you say “lose weight,” do you mean five pounds or fifty? If you want to save more, do you mean five dollars each month, or $500? Setting a goal that is too general or vague is setting yourself up for failure, so don’t be surprised when you have to cut your losses.

Instead, try…setting a specific, quantifiable goal. Tie a number to the number of pounds you want to lose or the number of books you want to read. The more specific you are, the easier it will be to celebrate small wins along the way. You’ll quickly see the positive effect that small victories have on your motivation, making way for you to hit larger milestones down the road. It all counts, and one day you’ll look back and think, “Wow, I did that!”

It’s Not Sustainable for the Long Haul

This is for all of the Type A overachievers out there. Do you really think you can work out every single day for 365 days? Maybe, but if your livelihood doesn't depend on you being active, it's likely that pesky cold or vacation to Mexico may get in the way of your regular workout routine.

If your resolution isn’t sustainable for the long haul, you can count on suffering from burnout. You’ll wake up one day and the last thing you’ll want to do is the thing you set out to do everyday this year. So take a dose of reality and realize you’re not going to read 200 books this year, break a world record, or travel to all 50 states.

Instead, try…setting an attainable goal. While we admire your ambitious spirit, think of a weekly or monthly goal you can set for yourself and write it down somewhere you’ll see it regularly. Break your goals into smaller chunks (think 5 pounds in a month, 10 books per quarter, or 4 workouts per week). While the number may seem small on the front end, you’re actually making it easier to hit a bigger goal by the end of the year. Small wins add up to larger victories. Haven’t you heard that slow and steady wins the race?

You’re Following the Crowd

Are you feeling peer pressured into participating in Whole30 with your coworkers? Or already experiencing FOMO for not joining the book club, subscription service, or workout routine all of your friends are participating in?

Well as much as we also hate missing out on what our friends or family is doing, we’d encourage you to do your own thing. That is, unless you REALLY want to do the thing your friends are doing. (Ask yourself, “If no one else was doing this, would I still want to?”)

So we’d encourage you to follow your mom’s advice and not blindly jump off the metaphorical bridge just because your friends are. Ask yourself if their goal is something that would be beneficial for you and is conducive to your lifestyle. If not, don’t be surprised when you start to lose steam mid-January.

Instead, try…asking yourself one simple question. What do you hope is different about your life at this time next year? Maybe you want your clothes to fit better or want to be living a more active lifestyle. Maybe you want to be a better cook, more organized, or have more money in the bank. Accomplishing a goal that actually means something to you will be that much more satisfying and fulfilling than any goal someone else has set for you. 

There’s No One Beside You Cheering You On

Some of us find ourselves hesitant to let others know our resolutions because, what happens if we don’t hit them? We not only let ourselves down, but we have to admit to someone else that we failed. 

But did you know that letting someone else know your goal already gives you a 65% chance of hitting it? Having an accountability partner increases your chance of success to 95%. If this doesn’t make having a support system a no-brainer, we don’t know what will.

Instead, try…letting a spouse or a close friend know your resolution and then ask them to keep you accountable in a way that works best for you. Maybe a daily text would stress you out more than it would help you, or maybe it would be the kick in the pants that you need. Whether it’s a daily, weekly, or monthly check-in, we guarantee it will help you stick to your goals and finally succeed with your resolution.

We guarantee if you use the tips we’ve recommended, your New Year’s resolutions won’t suck any longer. In fact, you’ll be way more likely to actually accomplish them this year, which might just make this the best year yet!

Happy New Year from Groove Life®.